It took six years for Maroon 5 to return to Milwaukee Monday, but Adam Levine's pop band more than made up for the absence at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, starting with the concert premiere of its latest single, "Cold."

Combined with last fall's "Don't Wanna Know" (another crowd pleaser), "Cold" suggests a new direction for the band. Following the rise of Lorde and the resurrection of Justin Bieber, less is more in pop these days. Maroon 5 has cast aside its busy, glossy production, embracing sparse beats to accompany Levine's latest heartbroken lyrics.

As Monday's show proved, it's a smart change-up. Levine's smooth falsetto is the band's signature instrument. He sang without falter in Milwaukee, but only on "Cold" (and an acoustic rendition of "She Will Be Loved") was Levine's voice given ample room to breathe.

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Maroon 5 wasn't interested in a leisurely pace. From the show's start, it sprinted through nine hits spanning its catalog, from the 2011 smash "Moves Like Jagger" to its first top 10 single "This Love."

Levine himself could stand to pick up a few moves from Jagger. Despite the presence of a long runway, he held back with the band, pacing from stage left to stage right to serenade the crowd. But there was never a dull moment with the relentless pace of the songs and the song switch-ups.

There wasn't much opportunity for Levine's personality to shine, though a mix of the playful arrogance and self-deprecation that made him a star on "The Voice" peeked through. There was a steady stream of commentary during the show's final hour, like some gentle ribbing of a fan who was born in 2002, which Levine said made him feel old.

Maroon 5 has been knocked for its light, synthetic style, intended for mass consumption. Live, the band welcomed a little more risk — like an a cappella, five-way harmony leading into "Payphone" — and rocked from time to time, thanks to lead guitarist James Valentine and Levine himself. Reined in on the recordings, Valentine ripped into an '80s rock outro from "Animals" to segue into the Police-indebted "Maps;" while Levine balanced the sweetness of the band's smitten smash "Sugar" with some spicy shredding of his own.

THE OPENERS

Monday's show, originally scheduled for October, was pushed back so Levine could be home with his wife and newborn daughter. Consequently, “Habits” hitmaker Tove Lo dropped off the bill, but her replacement, Tinashe, turned out to be the better performer.

The rising R&B singer's greatest strength are her dance skills, evident by the eye-popping moves in her hit "Company" music video. Live, the choreography is the star of the show, with Tinashe and her four backing singers coming off like the Fly Girls for the 21st century. Amidst the body bends, hip shakes, chair spins and leg pops, Tinashe still sang live, in key, through flirty club jams “2 On” and “All Hands on Deck.” During her half-hour, she didn’t even break a sweat.

It’s never a good sign when an act asks a crowd how many people have bought its album, only to get deafening silence for a reply. But pop-heavy hip-hop duo R. City — brothers Timothy and Theron Thomas from the Virgin Islands — took it in stride, with Timothy thanking the “three people” who did.

And Levine was a no-show for his vocal hook during R. City's biggest hit "Locked Away," inspired by the imprisonment of the brothers' father. But a strong audience sing-along for "Away" partially compensated for the absence. Combined with a medley of the Thomas’ hits for other people — including Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” and Rihanna’s “Pour It Up” — R. City likely picked up a couple more album sales from its Milwaukee debut.

THE TAKEAWAYS

Late in the show, Levine created a contest on the spot, for "Weirdest but Super Most Awesome Poster." Levine grabbed the winning sign from a fan named Lydia Moore and showed it to the crowd. On the front, it read "I Like You A Lot." And the message on the back was actually addressed to Maroon 5's drummer, Matt Flynn: "Matt is the Marky Mark to my Funky Bunch." Levine gave the fan a pair of Flynn's drumsticks, and Flynn autographed the poster.

Maroon 5 closed out the show covering "Let's Get Crazy" in honor of Prince, the stage awash in purple lights, and Levine rocking his electric guitar at the tip of the stage, engulfed in a purple haze of smoke.